The 24th

We had a great 24th of July celebrating Utah's Pioneer Day. The day started out with Allison having a bath with her favorite friend, lion. He is SO loved and needed to be washed anyway. He barely survived his near drowning experience! Here he is exhausted and trying to recover :)

Next on the agenda was a trip to the aquarium with Grandma and Grandpa Spongberg. Everyone enjoyed it and they had a lot of wonderful animals. Allison loved to watch all the fish, jellyfish, rays, sea snakes, sharks, octopus, and well, everything. She would watch them and try to grab at them through the glass. They also have added a new section with South American animals. There were spiders, frogs, fish, an anaconda, and much more.

Maybe our favorite part was where you can touch the rays and some fish! This was very cool. They feel like rubber.

After the aquarium we all went up Big Cottonwood Canyon to roast hot dogs and hamburgers. This is one our families favorite activities. We love the cool air and the sound of the river. The food was delicious and the company was even better.

Allison with her Grandpa and Grandma Spongberg.

We ended the day with fireworks! It was so fun to see Allison enjoy fireworks for the first time (on the 4th of July we were in the mountains and didn't do fireworks). She really liked them!

We love sparklers!

Our neighbors had family in town from Dubai and India and in Dubai they do not allow fireworks to be done on the street so they came out and watched our fireworks from their front porch. After our little fireworks show Dave and I were going to walk up the street to see the big fireworks show put on by the city. We went over and invited them to come with us. So Ratka and her 3 1/2 yr old daughter Smita from Dubai and the grandfather from India came with us. We loved talking with them and the fireworks lit up the sky!

We sure made a lot of memories that day....

Spider Woman

Dave called me a couple weeks ago to inform me that I had given birth to Spider Woman. He then went on to describe what he was talking about and I was laughing so much. The trouble was she would stop whenever she saw him so he couldn't get it on video. But after some sneaking I was able to capture Spider Woman in action. She had a hard time gripping because she was wearing shoes but sure enough she is a climber. The next video was the same day right after this one. Allison is such a joy to be around and is always full of love and entertainment.

Milestone (in my opinion)...

This is the first time I have been able to put a bow in Allison's hair without a headband attached! She looked so cute and I was really excited!!

4th of July Camping

Our family has a tradition of going camping every summer. We love spending time together, slowing things down, and enjoying the beauty of the mountains. This year was no different except that we were trying to camp with a 10 month old and we were missing some relatives who couldn't make it. Dave, Alli, and I ended up being "day campers". We attempted to sleep up there with Allison in her port-a-crib in the tent but by 11pm she was still awake and crying. So we threw some essentials in the car and drove home to sleep and went back up in the morning. Allison and Giada are becoming great friends. Cousins are the best!

We went on lots of walks. We had this little stream right next to our campsite and then the main river was across the road.
Cory, Leah, and Bella are waiting patiently to catch a squirrrel.

It worked!

Here is some of us hanging out and talking.

Our little family!

Nine Months...

Enjoy!

Family Home Evening at the Park

One of the best things about Salt Lake City is Sugarhouse Park. On a whim I decided to take Allison there today. Then I thought why not make a Family Home Evening out of it. So my mom said she would meet us there on her way home from work and my dad came and brought KFC for a little picnic.

Allison and I got there early and walked all the way around the pond. There were lots of ducks, geese, small birds, and seagulls. The river was spilling over part of the sidewalk so I took my shoes off and walked through the water. We went back and forth through the river about five times. It felt good on my feet (Allison was in the stroller). Although Grandpa later put Alli's feet in the water and she did not like that. Too cold for her tender toes.

We ate our dinner and then walked up the river, not in the water, on the side of it. It is only a few inches deep and it is calm. The air felt cool by the water. There were other people walking in the water and kids and dogs splashing around.

We walked to the playground. There were lots of families with kids there. Grandma pushed Allison on the swing and we took her down the slide. We have so much fun watching her have so much fun.

It turned out to be a lovely evening full of fun, adventures, yummy food, good temperatures, and even better company.

*Change of subject...

Our little angel is so funny. This is how we find her almost every night when we go to check on her before we go to bed. She has turned 180 degrees and she gathers up her blanket to use as a pillow. I don't know about everyone else but we chuckle each time we see this. We cannot get enough of her!

Bees Game

Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd, buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks, I don't care if I ever get back cause it's root root root for the home team, if they don't win it's a shame, cause it's 1, 2, 3 strikes you're out at the old ballgame! Allison watching the game after eating her dinner but before we cleaned her up :)

a ball game, warm night, new Bees shirt, kisses, one cute baby, and fireworks = a good time!

Sunshine

Our family went on vacation to California. We had so much fun. My parents and my brother Scott also came with us. We stayed at the Newport Coast Marriott and it was great. We were sad that Kim, Josh, and Melissa couldn't make it. I've included a lot of pictures because I didn't want to leave anything out! Our little sweetie is getting big. She just turned 9 months old!

Allison hanging out at the Balboa pier. We ate lunch at Ruby's. She loved watching the water and the birds.

These are our friends the Haag's. Dave baptized Jenn and Robert on his mission. We have kept in touch and enjoy spending time with them and their adorable kids!

DISNEYLAND!!! This was such a fun day. The weather was fabulous and the longest we waited in line was 15 minutes. Perfect. Allison went on Pirates twice, Jungle Cruise, Alice in Wonderland, Storybook Cruise, Haunted Mansion, and Small World. Also Dave went on Space Mountain for the first time! He had only been to Disneyland once before and that ride was closed that day. He loved it! Space Mountain is my favorite ride.

Disneyland has a special spot in my heart and I am so happy we got to go. The first of many Disneyland adventures with our family!

Grandma and Allison at Hunington Beach. Not too many things are better than campfires and cookouts at the beach. Alli is watching Grandma as she picks her favorite sea shells out of the ones she collected.

We went to Shoreline Village. We looked in all the shops, saw the Queen Mary, and let Allison ride her first carousel! The zebra was the coolest.

Mom and Dad you are the best!

Thank you, Thank you!

a baby and a prophet

My sweet sister-in-law Jenn's mom passed away just over a week ago. She had cancer and twice gave a valiant fight but unfortunately it got the best of her. On Thursday, April 30th her family held a viewing for her. Dave and Allison were there along with Dave's family but I was at work. So Dave calls me and says, guess who we met, I said who? Oh President Monson! There they were and what do you know President Monson came walking in the room. He came because it turns out Jenn's grandfather is a member of the 70, Elder Mack Lawrence. Grandma Phillips was holding her and President Monson came and said hello and touched her cheek. Allison looked at him like he was crazy. Then later he came back again, this time Dave was holding her, and he tickled her cheeks and said how cute she was! This time Allison smiled at him. That a girl!
The next day at Debbie's funeral the Bishop read a letter written and signed by President Monson, President Eyring, and President Uchtdorf. It was very special.
So while we are all sad for Jenn and Steven's loss, our little family gained a memorable experience. We can forever tell Allison that she met and was tickled by our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson.
**I asked Dave, "did you take a picture?", he said he thought about it but thought that under the circumstances it wasn't appropriate. I agree but dang it!